Residents Say 'No' To Registration Fee Increase

The possibility of paying higher fees for vehicle registration has some Michigan residents up in arms.

"It's way too much. I'm tired of it as it is," said Michael Smith.

"Wow. It's going to be really bad," echoed Antonio Smith.

A bi-partisan proposal introduced on Tuesday calls for a 50 percent increase in registration fees you'd pay to the Secretary of State. The reason? To create more revenue to improve Michigan's roads.

The average registration bill is about $95 and the increase would put it around $140. It would generate about 600 million bucks for road improvements each year. Supporters believe it will bring investment and new businesses to Michigan. Others disagree and feel added revenue should go toward the budget deficit.

"What good does it do to bring more business into Michigan because we have good roads if the state government can't function because there's no money in the budget?" asked Sandi Carter.

Carter says the government needs to look at other solutions. She believes this price hike isn't fair across the board.

"The taxes need to hit the people who can pay them. If you want to improve roads, fine. But let's find a way to do it that doesn't hit the people who can least afford it the heaviest."

The average Michigan driver spends about $318 on vehicle repairs each year. Many of those come from damage sustained on roadways such as potholes. That's why some support the proposal.

"It would help save money in my car," said Rebecca Hansens. "I wouldn't have to worry about fixing my car so often if the roads were fixed."

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